The National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) was an incredible success! On last count from the NVRD website, more than 3,600 volunteers registered more than 180,000 voters and still counting. Among the more than 1,000 groups that participated were the 249 Leagues across the country who registered voters all day long, often in multiple venues. Read more below in the Elections section.

As for me, I have been to Colorado and Missouri since last week’s Update. In both states, I again met with elections officials and the media, as well as our partner organizations and our members and volunteers who are doing everything they can to get their communities ready for the November. Please read my blog posts for the details.

I am almost halfway done, and the most encouraging thing I’ve seen on my travels so far, is the way the League is stepping up to make sure that every eligible voter has an equal opportunity to register and vote and make our democracy work this year. In the greatest democracy in the world, the League is demonstrating, once again, that protecting voting rights is protecting American exceptionalism.

After not even 24 hours at home in Georgia, I am back on the road in Michigan! Stay tuned for my report next week.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

POWER THE VOTE: This Week's Challenge Activity (NEW)
There’s still time to touch base with your elections officials and make sure they are fully prepared to help voters register, get informed, and successfully cast a ballot. Find our list of suggested questions for your elections official here: download key questions to ask.

ELECTIONS

Nat’l Voter Registration Day: Help Ensure the LWV Is Counted (NEW)
League volunteers made up a major portion of the “workforce” that made National Voter Registration Day such a success nationwide. So far, groups have already reported leveraging more than 3,600 volunteers to collect 180,000+ new registrations! If you haven’t already, it’s important that you take a moment of your time to click on the link sent to you in the email by the day’s organizers and record your total registration and volunteer numbers. The aggregated totals will be shared with the media, funders and other organizations, and we need to make sure the League’s full contribution is counted! Our sincere thanks to all who participated.

VOTE411 Press Template and Publicity Items Available (NEW)
Looking for ways to spread the word about VOTE411 in your community? LWVEF has developed a couple of publicity items to help your League spread the word about this important tool. First, a new VOTE411 press release template. Customize this template and contact local press in your community so they will help spread the word about VOTE411 to their readers/listeners. LWVEF has also developed a VOTE411 postcard template. You can print and hand out these postcards to voters in your community – at registration events, local debates and forums, or any other League event. These postcards are completely customizable, so you can add any state-specific information that you wish! If you have questions about these documents, please contact Megan Brown (mbrown@lwv.org).

Answer Our Survey and Get FREE VOTE411 Backpacks! (NEW)
Has your League hosted any voter registration events this year? Do you want to receive some FREE VOTE411 backpacks to hand out to voters in your area? Then simply fill out this survey to let us know about your registration events and we’ll mail you 10 FREE backpacks ASAP! If you have any questions please contact Shauneen Grout (sgrout@lwv.org).

Online Voter Registration Ad (NEW)
Time is running out to register to vote! To make sure we get as many people registered as possible, the League of Women Voters Education Fund is currently running online ads in targeted states to direct potential voters to VOTE411.org and its voter registration tool. If you’re interested in running this ad in your community, please contact Shauneen Grout (sgrout@lwv.org).

The League, the Media and National Voter Registration Day (NEW)
The League received incredible media coverage stemming from National Voter Registration Day (a huge success as noted above). Our 249 participating Leagues across the country garnered a great deal of visibility. You will find many news clips here along with stories from Aurora, CO, Charlotte, NC, and Purdue, IN. Kudos to all of you!
League President Elisabeth MacNamara wrote a new Huffington Post blog post on NVRD, which was quoted in subsequent articles. Our own Sr. Director for Elections Jeanette Senecal was interviewed on the local Fox affiliate and by Jennifer Granholm of The War Room, Current TV. Deputy Executive Director Zaida Arguedas appeared on Univision in both national and local news stories.
On Monday, we joined Voto Latino, Fem 2.0, actress Rosario Dawson and other partners in a Tweet Chat to set the stage for the nationwide event. On National Voter Registration Day, we continued to use social media to bolster the day. The official hashtag #925NVRD trended, meaning it was one of the most popular topics on Twitter throughout the day. Many celebrities and comedians (including BB King, Christina Aguilera, Glenn Beck, the Dave Matthews Band and Stephen Colbert) promoted NVRD alongside thousands of other prominent tweets, social media updates, and mainstream news stories and TV spots all day long. Check out our voter registration photo album on Facebook. Thank you to everyone who sent in a photo, and if you have photos to add please post them on our Facebook page and we’ll add them to our album!

Debate Watching Party Tools (NEW)
The first Presidential Debate is October 3rd. Why not make it a party!! The League Debate Watching Party Kit includes everything you will need to host a debate watching party in your community and some really great tips for getting the most out of the information presented including a discussion guide, a debate watchers notebook for keeping track of the debate as it happens and a media advisory template for advertising you party. This is a great way to help voters get informed on the candidates and watching with other people will stimulate conversation and further interest in the elections. It is also a great way to promote the League in a fun and casual setting.

League Applauded for seeking Truth in Campaign Ads (NEW)
The efforts of Leagues around the country to encourage their local TV stations to fact check political ads was applauded yesterday by Kathleen Hall Jamieson at the National Press Club and through this video. Media and academic leaders noted the positive impact of fact checking on the public's ability to navigate through the deceptions. Your help in these closing weeks can play a critical role as citizens go to the polls. If you see TV stations running fact checking segments on air, show public support by sending a Supportive Letter to the Editor in to your local paper. If you don't see any fact checking, you could send in this Op/Ed to encourage stations to fact check. To learn more about the whole campaign, watch this video and go here.

PA and SC Awaiting Decisions on Voter Photo ID Laws (NEW)
With 40 days to go before the election, there are still two states that do not know if their new voter photo ID law will be in effect. In Pennsylvania, the State Supreme Court sent the case back to state court where hearings are being held this week to determine how cumbersome the new law is. In South Carolina, final arguments were heard this week by a three-judge panel in Washington, DC, which will decide if the SC law is discriminatory. Learn more about PA here and SC here.

League Opposes H.R. 5912 (NEW)
The League joined other coalition partners in a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives in opposition to H.R. 5912, a bill that would repeal the presidential public financing system.

League Supports Office of Congressional Ethics (NEW)
The League joined with coalition partners in a letter to House Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi, expressing support for the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and urging them to ensure its uninterrupted operations in the next Congress by reactivating the agency and appointing the necessary board members.

EDUCATION FUND

Is the 9th Forum for the Future in Jeopardy? (NEW)
There has been great uncertainty about the future of the 9th Forum for the Future after the recent unrest in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, and, in particular, the Sept. 14th attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia. However, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly stated in a meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister on Sept. 24 that “…please know the United States remains committed to supporting Tunisia as you deal with this current situation, as you continue your democratic transition, and we want to be with you as you confront challenges and help seize opportunities together for the betterment of the future of Tunisia.” Read more.

Global Democracy: UN Update
League UN Observer Rosalee Keech represented the League on Sept. 24, 2012 as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the Equal Futures Partnership – a program for women to fully participate in political and economic opportunities. The United States and 12 other founding members (Australia, Benin, Bangladesh, Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Jordan, the Netherlands, Peru, Senegal, and Tunisia; as well as the European Union) and multilateral stakeholders including UN Women and the World Bank, leading businesses and non-profit institutions also pledged support for the partnership.

MEMBERSHIP & LEADERSHIP

LAST CHANCE to Apply for the LWVUS Task Force
League members, 45 years old or under, with a passion for the League and its future are encouraged to apply to become a member or co-chair of LWV Young Professionals Task Force to help prepare local Leagues to reach out to the next generation of League leaders. Applications are due THIS SUNDAY, September 30, 2012. Only League members in good standing, age 45 or under, will be considered for this position.

Succeeding in the Spotlight: Effective Spokesperson Training (NEW)
Become a more effective spokesperson for the League by building key messaging and media relations skills. Learn techniques to make sure the League's message is heard and what to do if you are faced with difficult or off-topic messages. Register to participate in this webinar training, presented by Communications Consultant Michelle Molloy on October 9 at 3pm (Eastern). To help our trainer share what's most valuable to League members, please take a minute and fill out this short survey.

Fundraising 101 Webinar (NEW) Register today to participate in the Fundraising 101 webinar on October 2 at 2 PM (Eastern). The webinar will expand on the basic fundraising training from National Convention to provide an overview of the why’s, who’s, what’s, how’s and when’s of fundraising essentials for local Leagues. We’ll convince you to focus on the most promising source of funds for Leagues – individuals – and give you lots of ideas to ensure success!

OTHER

LWVUS Annual Telemarketing Outreach Program Runs Sept. 10 to Oct. 5
The LWVUS Development Office wants to alert League leaders that the LWVUS annual telemarketing outreach program runs from September 10 through approximately October 5, 2012. During this campaign, national donors, as well as those local members who contribute to the LWVUS, are contacted by phone with a request for support. In addition, local members who are lapsed more than 24 months will be contacted. They will be given the opportunity to renew membership with their local League. Questions should be directed to Rose Simmons at rsimmons@lwv.org.

You Can Make a Gift That Helps Your League at All Three Levels!
Some things never change even in these challenging economic times. The League of Women Voters Education Fund continues to be at the forefront of public policy issue education that allows citizens to thoughtfully engage in the democratic process. By making a gift of cash or securities of $5,000 or more to the LWVEF Pooled Income Fund, you can receive an immediate income tax deduction for a portion of the gift's value and continue earning a quarterly return on the interest earned for life. Best of all, you can name your state and/or local League, along with the LWVEF, to benefit from the residual funds when you're gone. For more information, please contact the Development office at 202-263-1355 or plannedgiving@lwv.org.

You are subscribed to this list as and are receiving this newsletter as a service from the LWVUS to state and local League leaders.

To be removed from this list, please contact the LWVUS using the contact form (select 'League Member Roster Help' from the subject options menu) available at www.lwv.org. To subscribe to the Update list, please use the League Email Discussion List form available here: https://member.lwv.org/member.asp